Taking on water: Wareham residents get free jugs of water as boil-water order continues

By Kelly Fernandes

Thursday

Aug 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2007 at 10:46 PM

Instead of their regular duties, fire district employees Bob Sylvia and Todd Williams spent Wednesday handing out free water to help residents cope with a boil-water advisory.

Instead of their regular duties, fire district employees Bob Sylvia and Todd Williams spent Wednesday handing out free water to help residents cope with a boil-water advisory.

The Wareham Fire District's Water Department employees set up a makeshift drive-through area in the parking lot of the Water Department on Cranberry Highway, delivering two gallons of bottled water to residents waiting in their cars.

"We've had a steady stream of people all day. At some points the line of cars backs all the way up to the street," said Sylvia.

On Wednesday, Wareham Fire District Superintendent Mike Martin said residents should expect the boil-water order to remain in affect until Friday. But indications Thursday were that the ban would last all weekend.

It was issued Monday after E. coli bacteria was found in tap water of a Marion Road home during routine testing.

"We are moving in a positive direction and, if the next round of testing proves negative, we will petition the Department of Environmental Protection to lift the boil-water order," said Martin.

"We gave out about 1,500 bottles yesterday and we will deliver the water to anyone that is severely handicapped or homebound who cannot get here," he said. "We are doing everything we can to alleviate concerns and we apologize to our customers for this major inconvenience. We have all the phone lines open and they've been ringing all day with people asking questions.

Everyone, the new town administrator, board of health, and public employees, have been overwhelmingly supportive."

Resident Marie Barry lined up Wednesday to get her water.

"I wish they had a better way to tell people about the free water. I just found out from a friend, but I am glad they notified me by phone about the problem Monday," said Barry.

She was one of many residents who received a call from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department's reverse 911 system, which helped notify residents.

Martin said he was extremely grateful for the department's help, but wants to generate a Wareham Fire District notification system by next year for use in future emergencies.

"The sheriff's system was definitely a benefit, but it needs some refinement. People that are on the 'do not call' list, have unlisted numbers or do not have Wareham exchanges did not get the call, but some residents who were not affected did get the call," Martin said. "We want to create our own database, but people are reluctant to give out their e-mail or phone number. Our customers need to know they can trust us, so we can create a better system. I'm also working on getting our own Web site."

And Dino Pimental, franchise owner of Dunkin' Donuts in West Wareham, did all he could Wednesday to help customers get their coffee.

He called corporate headquarters to request a coffee van to provide coffee in the parking lot, but was pleasantly surprised when he received a new semi-truck, complete with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, and tables and chairs to create an outdoor cafe.

"You couldn't get coffee anywhere," said Pimental.

"We had to shut down everything. It's so disappointing to see the looks on people's faces when their daily routine is messed up. I sat in my office and thought, 'What can I do?' I called corporate and they sent me this beautiful truck. It's actually a rolling, full-blown store. We've been giving out free coffee all day. I've been upset the last few days about losing so much revenue, but today I had a smile on my face because it's so great to see people appreciate what we're doing."

Residents Geoff and Cindy Worrell was impressed with Pimental's efforts.

"It is great to see a local businessman helping out the community," said Geoff Worrell. "We have lived in Wareham for about 14 years, and although we don't have water problems often, when they hit, it is a big problem."

For more information on the boil-water order, call 508-295-0450 or visit the town's Web site, www.wareham.ma.us.

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